Remember an earlier posting about Turner Classic Movies coming to Canada that could have been entitled "what took you so long?" Well, add the E Network to the list. Mediacaster reports today that Canwest has cut a deal to distribute E - branded material in Canada. I sure would have liked it when "Talk Soup" was in its infancy. That show was pretty great. Not to worry, concerned defenders of Canada's distinct television system -- there will be some local content (read: Entertainment Tonight Canada) on the network too. What this means is the end of Global's second mini-network, CH. It'll be rebranded as E in the fall. It also means E! content will make its way to satellite radio in Canada.
In memory of CH's demise, here's a tribute to its original incarnation, CHCH-Hamiltion. This was prepared in anticipation of its move to an Ontario-wide network, ONtv, in 1996. Global would take it over shortly after the switch.
Stay tuned for another dispatch from the frontiers of broadcasting regulation -- it'll be out of this world.
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So, CH becomes E!
This, according to today's G&M, is part of a strategy for CanWest to develop two parallel networks -- Global and E! -- chasing slightly different audiences. CTV does the same thing through the purchase of CHUM.
But how do they chase new audiences?
By importing more US content.
And not just any US content, but off-network US content!
Why is this important?
Because off-network content is dirt cheap to produce.
I know you pine for the early days of Talk Soup -- but I used to watch it back then and I think that every episode cost well in excess of $5 to produce.
So, we have Cdn networks too cheap to produce their own cheap content but not so cheap as to avoid importing cheap US content.
This tells me two things:
1. there is an oversupply of outlets in Canada relative to the production capacaity
2. in addition to the permanent attractiveness of importing US content, we are now confronted with the lack of initiative to produce even low-cost Cdn content.
For years, broadcasters have said they can't compete with US networks. Well, now, they CAN compete with US cable channels, and they still refuse!
Will someone please pull the plug on CanWest and CTVglobemedia.
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